Issues tormenting minds and culture occupying center-stage

INDIA is simmering. Ever since the BJP government came to power, issues tormenting minds and culture have occupied center-stage. Whether it is fringe groups in action or state governments issuing diktats, unrest is brewing. This is coupled with insecurity on which way the saffron party led government is headed. Going by recent actions, the writing on the wall is clear.  For starters, the non-vegetarians were targeted.  Close on the heels of banning beef some months ago, a state government has moved in the direction of curbing non-vegetarian eating habits.   The state of Maharashtra has a new law that bans the slaughter of all cows and sale and consumption of their meat. The controversial law came into force in March. It carries a stringent punishment for violators. The decision of the western state, which includes India's commercial capital, Mumbai, to ban beef  had caused outrage throughout the country. Marches were conducted to protest  against the law that has raised hackles in many parts. Till now the ban was restricted to killing or consuming meat from cows. Buffalo meat was kept out of its purview. The state has now banned beef. Under the new law, killing bulls and bullocks and even possessing beef, which is now considered as contraband, is forbidden.
Most beef sold in India is actually from water buffaloes, which are not considered sacred. While beef from buffalo was legal, it is cow slaughter that is banned.  Some four months down the line, the same state moved in yet again. It decided to ban the consumption of meat for eight days during a festival of the Jain community. The Jains believe that violence against living beings should be curtailed particularly during the festival. Consequently, abattoirs remain closed across most of Maharashtra’s major cities for a few days. Had the courts not stepped in, the ban would have been effective for some eight days.
 The closure, it may be pointed out, adversely affected both poultry eating and meat selling population.
 Close on the heels of Maharashtra, were other BJP ruled states including Haryana, which decided to appease the Jains.
 But possibility of a backlash led to a hasty retreat. The Haryana government developed cold feet. In a somersault on its order of closing meat shops and abattoirs for a week, it issued a clarification and stated that the order be seen as an “appeal” and not a diktat.
The confusion however led to several shops remaining closed and  adversely affecting livelihoods.
 The Chhattisgarh government too ordered suspension of meat sales during the fasting period and the predominantly Hindu Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The Rajasthan government went a step further by banning sale of liquor along with the ban on meat sales.
 The social media was quick to see this as a move by the BJP led governments shoving the Hindu agenda down people’s throats.
 The issue is where will this stop? If it is Jains today, then it would be other Hindu communities making unreasonable demands and expecting governments to enforce bans in keeping with their religious sentiments and festivities that follow.
 During the auspicious period of Navratri, for instance, Hindus could demand that meat eating and selling should be prohibited throughout north India, if not the entire country. A similar demand could be made during the Deepawali week: essentially periods of prayer and celebration.  Dedicated to the worship of the Goddess, the nine days and nights of Navratri are sacred to Hindus where vegetarianism is the norm in the north. Navratris   are observed twice a year.
 India is a country of festivals, tradition and religious celebrations. It is also one where different communities co-exist and practice their respective faiths without fear or favour. Therefore giving in to the whims of one community, be it Jains or any other, will open floodgates. It will also be a beginning of every community making similar demands, which would be impossible for any government to concede to. If it is Hindus today it could be Parsis tomorrow or Buddhists another day.   
Sensing discontent, the Rajasthan government has, as of now,  withdrawn  its liquor ban. It has also accommodated non-vegetarians by allowing them to eat meat and fish in hotels that had deep freezing facilities. The purpose it explained was to prevent slaughtering and killing animals during festive days.  The pro ban lobbies have argued that this is much ado about nothing given that the ban is an age-old practice.
Rajasthan has been in the eye of a storm for yet another controversial move: this time clearly a hit out at Muslims. In a bizarre circular, the state government has directed schools and colleges to participate in a blood donation camp on September 25. Ostensibly to mark the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh ideologue  Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, principals have been asked not to grant leave to staffers on that day. The sting is that the celebrations are likely to coincide with the Eid-ul-Zuha or Bakr Eid, which might fall on either September  24, or 25, depending upon the citing of the moon. Either ways, the circular will dampen the spirit: compulsory presence for blood donation axing a holiday and hampering celebrations.
Muslims are irked and see this  as a “violation of human rights of Muslim employees”. Many see it as a deliberate attempt to instigate the community. This is not about Muslims alone. In the past there was an attempt to declare Christmas as Good Governance Day taking a toll on the national holiday. These are but incidents to a well thought of pattern: of alienating minorities and telling the Muslims that they are citizens of a state that is fast transforming itself into a Hindu nation. It is about signaling that a big change is in the offing where secularism would soon be redundant and communalism in the garb of Hinduism will bare its fangs. It is about saying that  while in India live as Hindus do.
 This, apart from being an infringement on the rights, sentiments and feelings of non-Hindus, is an assault on the spirit of the Indian nation and its Constitution that the BJP is attempting to overturn.
 The danger may not be visible today. Current trends will pass as one-off or aberrations by select states. The trouble is in the slow poison that is being injected: one that will take a toll on future generations and institutions that, in the garb of Hinduism, promote intolerance and communalism.  The time to stop this is now: to stand up and say enough is enough; to compel the Modi Government to move in and stop pro Hindu and anti minority moves be it ban on meat sales or its attempt to downplay Eid and propagate the birthday of a Hindu icon

The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])

Issues tormenting minds and culture occupying center-stage

INDIA is simmering. Ever since the BJP government came to power, issues tormenting minds and culture have occupied center-stage. Whether it is fringe groups in action or state governments issuing diktats, unrest is brewing. This is coupled with insecurity on which way the saffron party led government is headed. Going by recent actions, the writing on the wall is clear. For starters, the non-vegetarians were targeted. Close on the heels of banning beef some months ago, a state government has moved in the direction of curbing non-vegetarian eating habits. The state of Maharashtra has a new law that bans the slaughter of all cows and sale and consumption of their meat. The controversial law came into force in March. It carries a stringent punishment for violators. The decision of the western state, which includes Indias commercial capital, Mumbai, to ban beef had caused outrage throughout the country. Marches were conducted to protest against the law that has raised hackles in many parts. Till now the ban was restricted to killing or consuming meat from cows. Buffalo meat was kept out of its purview. The state has now banned beef. Under the new law, killing bulls and bullocks and even possessing beef, which is now considered as contraband, is forbidden. Most beef sold in India is actually from water buffaloes, which are not considered sacred. While beef from buffalo was legal, it is cow slaughter that is banned. Some four months down the line, the same state moved in yet again. It decided to ban the consumption of meat for eight days during a festival of the Jain community. The Jains believe that violence against living beings should be curtailed particularly during the festival. Consequently, abattoirs remain closed across most of Maharashtras major cities for a few days. Had the courts not stepped in, the ban would have been effective for some eight days. The closure, it may be pointed out, adversely affected both poultry eating and meat selling population. Close on the heels of Maharashtra, were other BJP ruled states including Haryana, which decided to appease the Jains. But possibility of a backlash led to a hasty retreat. The Haryana government developed cold feet. In a somersault on its order of closing meat shops and abattoirs for a week, it issued a clarification and stated that the order be seen as an appeal and not a diktat. The confusion however led to several shops remaining closed and adversely affecting livelihoods. The Chhattisgarh government too ordered suspension of meat sales during the fasting period and the predominantly Hindu Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The Rajasthan government went a step further by banning sale of liquor along with the ban on meat sales. The social media was quick to see this as a move by the BJP led governments shoving the Hindu agenda down peoples throats. The issue is where will this stop? If it is Jains today, then it would be other Hindu communities making unreasonable demands and expecting governments to enforce bans in keeping with their religious sentiments and festivities that follow. During the auspicious period of Navratri, for instance, Hindus could demand that meat eating and selling should be prohibited throughout north India, if not the entire country. A similar demand could be made during the Deepawali week: essentially periods of prayer and celebration. Dedicated to the worship of the Goddess, the nine days and nights of Navratri are sacred to Hindus where vegetarianism is the norm in the north. Navratris are observed twice a year. India is a country of festivals, tradition and religious celebrations. It is also one where different communities co-exist and practice their respective faiths without fear or favour. Therefore giving in to the whims of one community, be it Jains or any other, will open floodgates. It will also be a beginning of every community making similar demands, which would be impossible for any government to concede to. If it is Hindus today it could be Parsis tomorrow or Buddhists another day. Sensing discontent, the Rajasthan government has, as of now, withdrawn its liquor ban. It has also accommodated non-vegetarians by allowing them to eat meat and fish in hotels that had deep freezing facilities. The purpose it explained was to prevent slaughtering and killing animals during festive days. The pro ban lobbies have argued that this is much ado about nothing given that the ban is an age-old practice. Rajasthan has been in the eye of a storm for yet another controversial move: this time clearly a hit out at Muslims. In a bizarre circular, the state government has directed schools and colleges to participate in a blood donation camp on September 25. Ostensibly to mark the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, principals have been asked not to grant leave to staffers on that day. The sting is that the celebrations are likely to coincide with the Eid-ul-Zuha or Bakr Eid, which might fall on either September 24, or 25, depending upon the citing of the moon. Either ways, the circular will dampen the spirit: compulsory presence for blood donation axing a holiday and hampering celebrations. Muslims are irked and see this as a violation of human rights of Muslim employees. Many see it as a deliberate attempt to instigate the community. This is not about Muslims alone. In the past there was an attempt to declare Christmas as Good Governance Day taking a toll on the national holiday. These are but incidents to a well thought of pattern: of alienating minorities and telling the Muslims that they are citizens of a state that is fast transforming itself into a Hindu nation. It is about signaling that a big change is in the offing where secularism would soon be redundant and communalism in the garb of Hinduism will bare its fangs. It is about saying that while in India live as Hindus do. This, apart from being an infringement on the rights, sentiments and feelings of non-Hindus, is an assault on the spirit of the Indian nation and its Constitution that the BJP is attempting to overturn. The danger may not be visible today. Current trends will pass as one-off or aberrations by select states. The trouble is in the slow poison that is being injected: one that will take a toll on future generations and institutions that, in the garb of Hinduism, promote intolerance and communalism. The time to stop this is now: to stand up and say enough is enough; to compel the Modi Government to move in and stop pro Hindu and anti minority moves be it ban on meat sales or its attempt to downplay Eid and propagate the birthday of a Hindu icon The writer is a senior Indian journalist, political commentator and columnist of The Independent. She can be reached at: ([email protected])